Palomar Observatory, Palomar Mountain, CA, circa 1948
- Subjects
- Forests & TreesMountains & Hills
- Card type
- Real photo
- Date
- c. 1948 (Chrome)
About this postcard
A curving mountain road with low white guard posts runs through a rocky cut, tall conifers crowding both sides. Above the treetops at left rises the ribbed dome of Palomar Observatory. The printed caption calls it the "Worlds largest Observatory" at Palomar Mountain, Calif. Palomar Mountain, in San Diego County, was chosen as the site for the 200-inch Hale Telescope, completed in 1948 and then the largest telescope in the world. The new instrument made the mountain one of the best-known astronomical sites of the mid-twentieth century.
Postcard Details
No address detected
Postcard record
| Condition | Very good |
|---|---|
| Place depicted | Palomar Observatory, Palomar Mountain, CA |
| Notes | Sepia-toned real photo print with a white border; handwritten caption in white ink across the lower part of the image (not a correspondence message). Slight edge wear. No postmark; dashed stamp box with corner letters D O P S, no stamp applied. Blank divided-back real-photo postcard; pencil "8.50" (dealer price) in upper right corner; light soiling/toning on cream stock. |
Cite this card
Palomar Observatory, Palomar Mountain, CA, circa 1948, postcard, c. 1948. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/palomar-observatory-palomar-mountain-ca-circa-1948. Accessed November 3, 2026.